A Test of Intelligence

The end was in sight! Thankfully the last few questions were of similar difficulty to the rest and Kudo could feel herself growing with excitement for the more arduous trials that she was surely to face. As her pencil danced across the paper so did her answers become written and thusly the veritable health of the exam decrease with each purposeful stroke.

There was a tremendous amount of distraction around her, prompting even the head proctor to loudly intervene, though through it all Kudo kept her eye's glued to the paper. While not possessing any helpful genjutsu to aid in dulling her distracted senses she relied on her ability to tune them out, however lightly, to focus at the task at hand. Had she spent as much time gazing at the bizarre sounding tactics the others were taking she was surely be a page behind from the lost time, glad her worry was good for one thing.

With a final stroke of her pencil she placed the tool down and fiddled with her feet, hoping the others to not take too long. The girl had been so tunnel-visioned into the paper exam she hadn't thought of the possibility of additional trials within the one she already felt comfortably behind.

Deets:

With the majority of the backrow done, all that remained for the clone were participants 41 to 45. Unlike the majority of other skilled examinees Lily had yet to learn how to sense the chakra around her (let alone learn that was even a thing people could do) and was forced to rely on her regular human senses. Those sense informed both Lily and the clone of the Winged Horse's arrival, of which Lily Prime would turn her head slightly to see, turning her eyes even more so that it would look like she was merely reacting to the noise out of instinct. There were other noises; the proctor actually leaving this time, more pencils scratching answers, and...something that she should know, but couldn't put her finger on. Strange.

Looking to her next (and probably final) set of people she'd be looking at, Number 44 would finish writing their answers and set their pencil down...and looking at them some more they placed a hand over their paperwork so the chances of copying any answers may be a bust there. The ninja to the cocoa-skinned woman with a marshmallow outfit was still writing down his answers though; perhaps she could get some answers there. Making a mental note to ask the penguins if it was possible to summon in some hot cocoa with penguin marshmallows after this test, she'd move behind Number 43 and take a peek at their answers; doing her best to memorize as much as she could.

Number 43 had some pretty good handwriting, but she quickly picked up something very strange about his answers: they were in the wrong spots. or maybe some of them were? The Lily Clone would take a step back and rapidly repeat the likely answers in her head, then looked bat at 43's questions & answers. Yeah, he had some of the mixed up; but as long as she ignored the questions themselves unless necessary, she could cross-examine them with the answers everyone else had written. Once she had looked over his questions, she'd skip 44 as it wasn't worth trying to get past those hands, and 45 was a dud. She'd briefly consider trying to hit Numbers 1 through 15 as well as 23 to 30...but there wasn't enough time. With as much information as she could gather, The clone would stay down behind the table and stab itself with one of it's copied bestest knives in the palm; biting down the pain as the jutsu ended and she'd poof into smoke underneath Number 45's chair; just to embarrass them.

Lily Prime (now just Lily with the clone gone) for her part would clutch her left hand and curling her toes as the memories of her clone came rushing in; drawing some blood from her fingernails digging into her skin. She wouldn't make a peep however; having learned to manage pain over her years to express it in subtler ways. With what she assumed was the correct answers she'd quickly get to writing them down; her previous sketches and planning of trying to figure out this test letting it appear as if she had simply been working on the test the entire time.

Here's hoping that her correlations were correct, as she likely didn't have another shot at this.

---

The Deets:

Innocence looked up as Airi left the room and began to yell at a nearby streaker. The woman's voice modulated as if she was far away but Innocence guessed that their proctor was not done keeping an eye on them so she conducted herself accordingly. She'd execute her Jutsu as planned aiming to trigger both Lily Prime and Natsuki. Once the illusion took hold, Natsuki would suddenly find himself in an empty classroom. The chalkboard at the front of the room would begin to etch a message onto itself in letters so large that Natsuki couldn't help but see it.

DON'T PANIC WOLF SLAYER. YOU'RE UNDER MY GENJUTSU - INNOCENCE

The message would erase itself and a new one would be scrawled.

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL THE ANSWERS CUZ I'M NICE LIKE THAT.

The message would be erased and yet another would be drawn.

ONE THING THO. IF I'M THE SMARTEST, COOLEST, BEST DOCTOR IN KONOHA, TAP YOUR PENCIL THREE TIMES.

Innocence would wait for the magic thrice tap before proceeding to lay out the answers. Though the Uchiha boy would have copied her responses on his own, the order would likely be incorrect. By writing and re-writing on the illusory chalkboard, she'd walk him through each of the questions and explain how she arrived at the appropriate answer. She knew he wouldn't truly understand the substance of what she was writing on the board but he'd at least know which answer corresponded to which question. He'd also have a decent time adapting his answer should the questions be slightly different but mostly similar. Once he had received all the answers and gave some kind of indication that he was done, Innocence would leave him with one final message before reverting him back to an approximation of reality.

I'LL HAVE YOUR BACK UNTIL THE TOURNAMENT. I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU FLUNK OUT UNTIL WE FACE EACH OTHER IN THE FINALS!

With that, Natsuki would snap back to a one for one re-make of what was happening in base reality. Innocence did not release him from the illusion yet as it might come in handy to have an indirect means of communication. Natsuki might notice that he was still under genjutsu and he may choose to release himself from it but that would let her know that she didn't have his full trust yet. The surgeon's high IQ allowed her to simultaneously run another genjutsu against Lily Prime who Innocence knew nothing about, but was very much interested in getting to know. Because Innocence was not on familiar terms with Lily, she eased the Pit Child into the false reality. Rather than eliminating all other stimuli in the area, Innocence opted to communicate with the chalkboard while still granting Lily access to reality. The illusion would begin roughly around the same time that the clone would be snooping around near her and Natsuki's exams.

HEY YOU! SILVER HAIRED GIRL! DON'T FREAK OUT BUT YOUR IN MY GENJUTSU RIGHT NOW.

The message would be erased and a yet one would appear.


DON'T WORRY I'M NOT GONNA FUCK YOU UP SO REMAIN CALM AND DON'T DRAW ANY ATTENTION TO YOURSELF.

The message on the chalkboard would erase itself and a new one would appear.


I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE DOING IT BUT YOU HAVE A CLONE WALKING AROUND HERE AND I CAN'T SEE IT. SO EITHER YOU KNOW A REALLY RARE JUTSU OR YOU'RE WAAAAY OVER-SKILLED WITH THE TRANSPARENT ESCAPE TECHNIQUE.

Innocence had studied ferociously leading up to the Exams. She had read multiple volumes of the Standard Ninjutsu Encyclopedia and knew their mechanics by heart. The description of what was happening fit that of the Transparent Escape Jutsu but if Lily could render the whole clone totally invisible then either she'd improved upon the technique or her full-body dexterity was Kage level. Either way, Innocence needed to have this girl on her side.

WE SHOULD TEAM UP.

Another erasure.

DUNNO WHAT VILLAGE YOU'RE FROM BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER. MY FAMILY IS REALLY RICH AND WELL CONNECTED. THINK KAGE STATUS. I CAN GET YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT AFTER EXAMS.

The message was a half-truth and half-lie. Innocence was indeed from noble pedigree. Her father was the seventh Hokage, her uncle the second Hokage and Uchiha clan leader. Unfortunately, none of this actually conferred upon Innocence the power to bestow upon Lily "whatever she wanted." Fortunately though, that was a tomorrow problem. For now, she needed to entice this stranger and that meant over promising if necessary.

JUST HELP ME AND MY FRIEND SITTING TO MY LEFT. YOU WATCH OUR BACK AND WE'LL WATCH YOURS.

Innocence wasn't sure when the tournament would take place but given the sheer number of entrants in this year's Exams, she was willing to bet there would be more trials before it.


GIVE A GIFT. GET A GIFT. THINK ON IT.

The magic chalkboard would proceed to do as it did for Natsuki. The answers would be laid out for Lily in as simple terms as Innocence could muster. Like Natsuki, Innocence was sure that Lily must have some inkling of the answers as a result of their cheating but it wouldn't hurt to provide confirmation. In the event the exam was rigorously graded and you didn't know the precise answers, secondary confirmation was a godsend. Once Innocence felt she had done all she could to help Lily, she'd fully release the Genjutsu. She didn't need to test the loyalty of someone who she herself didn't fully trust. Unlike her kinsman, Innocence really wasn't interested in becoming Lily's friend. The goal of the interaction was to proposition the girl and then gauge her reaction. If she was amenable and if there was an opportunity, they could talk further. But by giving the answers without receiving anything in return she hoped to convince Lily that a partnership would be mutually beneficial. An attempt at prolonged genjutsu might ruin that good work. In fact, Innocence's good work was nearly ruined by a loud and obnoxious beast which sneezed into the classroom. Innocence jumped in her seat a bit as her eyes cut towards the animal. She considered killing the horsey right then and there. She had a large arsenal capable of inflicting an apocalyptic amount of pain on the noble creature but instead she remained calm.

She didn't know who the animal belonged to and it wouldn't be wise to draw that much attention to herself so soon. Besides, it looked like the primary victims of the sneeze would be people she didn't even care about. Innocence's eyes shifted from the disgusting scene to the kid in the orange jumpsuit. He was quiet but she was certain he was up to something. Innocence considered propositioning him as well but she couldn't justify the expenditure of chakra. Aside from an overgrown puppet, she hadn't seen anything impressive from him.




I'll be fine without him. I have Wolf Slayer and Invisi-Girl to watch my back.

OOC:

Natsuki is still being targeted by False Surroundings. 2/2 Posts.

In the interest of not bogging down the thread, I will allow Lily to choose whether or not she is triggered successfully. Without conceding the foot trigger issue (which may be discussed separately) Lily can opt to be under the illusion. If she chooses not to be then that portion of my post can be disregarded.

Exam complete with perfect score. 2/2 Posts. [A-Tier Intelligence]

Jutsu/UA Used:

-1 CP  [Silent Killing]
3 CP [False Surroundings]

Chakra Pool: 166/185

Stats

Strength: D
Constitution: D
Stamina: B
Speed: C -> D [Flaw]
Coordination: B
Intelligence: B -> A [Unique Ability]
Perception: B

Spoiler:

As the timer counted down, Natsuki’s heart rate continued to climb. He had all of the correct answers, but he did not have them in the correct order- a crucial component of any test. He stared down at the answers, bewildered at how any of them correlated to the questions posed. The beam of death shot out of the window, a streaker outside the classroom, Airi leaving-not-leaving, the flurry of papers that resulted in Nakaba suddenly having an additional test, Ghost speaking aloud despite the clear “no talking” rule, and the only-so-subtle clone were all none of his concern as long as they weren’t trying to take his test.

Even as he ignored them, though, everyone suddenly fell out of his periphery. He would notice this. Glancing up and around, what he found on the board would confirm the thing his senses were telling him.

DON'T PANIC WOLF SLAYER. YOU'RE UNDER MY GENJUTSU - INNOCENCE

Genjutsu... to help? Very clever...

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL THE ANSWERS CUZ I'M NICE LIKE THAT.

Natsuki smirked, Inno was already giving him the correct answers whether she knew it or not, but presenting them in their proper context was still vital.

ONE THING THO. IF I'M THE SMARTEST, COOLEST, BEST DOCTOR IN KONOHA, TAP YOUR PENCIL THREE TIMES.

The boy shook his head in amusement, dropping his gaze back towards his paper while maintaining slight legibility with the board. Tap tap tap. Feigning a particularly vexing quandary, Natsuki tapped his pencil in accordance with her request. Sure enough, the answers she began to provide, including the questions, were in line with what she had written herself. In fact, the explanations were such that he could even rephrase them so that they might not be caught after the fact. Damn smart!

Picking up a second pencil, he would erase his old copied answers, now confident in Innocence's support, and simultaneously write correct answers for the correct questions, distinct from the kunoichi's own. As he set down his pencils with the 9th question answered, he'd read her final message.

I'LL HAVE YOUR BACK UNTIL THE TOURNAMENT. I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU FLUNK OUT UNTIL WE FACE EACH OTHER IN THE FINALS!

You're on! He nodded in approval as the room seemed to go back to normal. He furrowed his brow slightly, however; he was still under genjutsu. The test was over, wasn't it? So why hasn't she- Oh, the tenth question! Innocence hadn't given Natsuki the question, let alone the answer, so there was still value in maintaining this illusory space. It certainly helped that he was able to match the goings-on of the reality to which he bore witness. He would have trusted her regardless, but assurances were welcome.

Alright, what next?

[OOC: Exam complete with perfect score. 2/2 Posts. [Innocence's A-Tier Intelligence]

Details:

Nakaba waited easy with the exam that he originally owned on the floor and the stolen Exam filled out with his name on it.the genin that he had attempted to get eliminated by making them get up from their seats seemed really put together two of them quickly reassembled their testing area. Seat number 1's pages never got farther than inches from her desk as she adeptly cut the strings with a quick draw and went about her day. None of that was Nakaba's business though. Having successfully stolen Kento Hozuki's test, he was in possession of a completely filled out test. Nakaba would lean back in his chair, getting comfortable and would begin lightly snoring. As the Lily in the corner's heat signature vanished, he'd assume she'd gotten all she needed. His earlier Sensing technique had noticed a Genjutsu laid over this place, but his analysis of his chakra failed to find any irregularities in himself.

Nakaba would fail to see Kento's eyes frantically snapping around the room. He wouldn't see the kiri-nin being signaled by one of his allies that there was a test on the ground in the middle row. Nakaba didn't bother to look as the genin scrambled the last five minutes to get his test together. He'd package the test in the envelope and frantically head to the door with most of the other NPCs dropping off his test as he did so. Nakaba would keep relaxing in the back of the classroom. Now that the test was over, he might be able to get a word in with Lady Hokage as everyone else filed out at the exam's end. He'd watch as multiple heat signatures left the room. Even not knowing how well he'd scored, he was still at peace knowing that the Hozuki had likely performed well, at least up until the kiri-nin's test was stolen.

OOC: Gonna take a 6-9/9 from Kento Hozuki.

jutsu:

Stats:

Well it was done the first part was done. Popular to belief a test is used to determine if a person has what it takes to get them to the next level. For now he was sure he did enough to pass. For the time being be did notice a few things were off with the classroom especially seeing as that horse thing came by the window. Ghost had to keep his cool and did what he had to do to make it out of here. When the Lady Hokage gave orders to put the test away and leave he would follow suit. Quickly blending in with the others as not to draw attention to himself.

With that being said and all was done and nobody stop him he would simply put his test away and walk out of the class room. "Perfect i pray I made it pass part one. Best go grab something to drink." He would say as he walked off.

With the sounding of the end of the first portion of the exam Kudo complied by placing her pencil on the table, putting her hands under the table as she listened to the short set of instructions given at the end. It sure sounded like it was over but she couldn’t help but place her out-of-sight hands into the Tiger seal to release a paranoid flush of chakra to ensure her system was cleaned of any outside meddling. Only once she was certain to be in full control and awareness of her faculties did Kudo begin to place her exam inside the envelope to turn in and complete.

Getting up, Kudo brought her packet with her and placed it on the podium and then promptly sat back down. Normally she would try to mingle with the strangers on the way out, but after the strange ongoings of the exam she was feeling a little put off to get to know any of her peers here so she kept to herself.

Deets:

While Lily's clone was doing it's thing, Lily would get swept up into Innocence's genjutsu as her foot brushed up against the chair. The first thing she'd notice was the sound of chalk being written on the board, something she hadn't heard in a while, but distinctly recognized. Partially looking up, she'd see the words being written and her blood ran cold. Lily's left hand was immediately on her knife situated on her left leg at full S++ coordination, hand on the hilt and ready to both break herself out and toss the knife at whoever the hell put her in this illusion, as well as using it to break herself out of need be. The only reason she hadn't yet was because she was warned, which was really weird.

As the next message appeared, she'd keep her hand near the blade's handle, but would relax back to her test-tense state as she'd read the board's magic words through her peripherals. Whoever this person was had figured out her plan, though Lily was a little surprised to hear she was a natural at the Transparent Tech. That or the penguins were really good tutors. Either way it was good to hear that her plan, while not perfect, was a solid plan; just meant that somehow it was trackable through means other then sight.

Then came the proposition. Were this the Lily of seven years ago, she might have dismissed it right then and there as this was a challenge, and Vandal taught people to rely on their own strength, not those of others. However Lily had changed somewhat. Kit-Kit, the Penguins, and even those two mystery men during the Gyuki fight. While there could still only be one winner, having people to cover your weaknesses up until you have to fight them...it was a solid idea.

There was just one problem: She had no idea who it was that she was possibly teaming up with. They did mention 'friend sitting to their left', so already nine...no three seats were ruled out. She could figure it out later when she's get the memory of her clone. Besides, she was curious now; as the adopted daughter of one of the Princess Council, she was technically a daughter of a kage, and making connections was important. Perhaps...perhaps.

Watching from her peripherals as the chalkboard began to write down answers onto it, her clone would return and she'd clutch her knife grip hard as the memories flowed in. With the memories the clone provided of the gathered answers alongside the answers this mystery benefactor was providing, she'd be able to correct her mistakes and properly fill in the answers to the nine questions. In addition her clone's information gathering gave her possible suspects as to who her benefactor and 'friend' were. Number 44 and 43. She wasn't sure yet, but none of the student in front had done anything suspicious, and with the winged horse acting up it probably would have broken a normal user's concentration...there was also the fact the chalkboard writing wasn't like any of the handwritings she had seen yet, so 44 was the likely caster as they were the only one in the back row who she didn't peek at their handwriting. Curious.

Once she had written down the answers and hoping to whoever was out there Number 44 hadn't lead her astray, she'd set spend the remaining time trying to figure out that final mystery: Question 10. She didn't have much time though as the Skull would announce time was up, and Lily was forced to put her pencil down. Following the instructions, Lily would place her test back into the envelope, but waited for the majority of the other examinees to put their tests up on the podium, seeing what they would do. A lot of them followed the redhead's instructions to the letter, but something still did not feel right. It was too easy.

...Ah, so that had to be it. Staying in her seat, she'd keep her left hand on her knife and watch for Number 43 and 44. If they were indeed her 'possible allies' and were paying attention, the lack of Lily moving to the door, let alone the podium should indicate that something wasn't right. After all...

'...none of you may leave the room until after the 10th question is completed.'
They had only answered Nine.

---

The Deets:

Innocence watched as Lily grew apprehensive regarding her illusion but soon, the girl appeared to be writing down the answers that had been given. Good. She's at least open to collaboration. The surgeon didn't know if Invisi-Girl trusted her fully, but by giving her reliable and accurate answers Innocence hoped she had laid down the right foundations. Soon after she began giving Lily the answers, the clone poofed or had found some way to conceal its vitals. Innocence assumed the former but didn't discount the latter. She'd have to catch up with Lily when she got the chance and reveal that it was her who loosed the genjutsu and gave her the answers. Given the privacy of their exchange, Invisi-Girl would immediately recognize her as the mystery benefactor. From there, they could work together on taking down some of the more troublesome shinobi. A certain Kaori Murai came to mind.

After paying tithe to Innocence's needy ego, Natsuki had begun writing down the answers she had provided. Nice. I have two allies going into this next round. I should be straight.... Even better, Natsuki hadn't released himself from the illusion which was convenient in case they needed to continue talking. It was also heartwarming in that it showed he actually trusted her. Innocence tried not to grin at her own awesome-ness as the timer continued to countdown. It rang and chattered, bringing out a hidden Airi who instructed them to put their pencils down and turn in their Exams. Eh? Innocence thought as she saw the Airi clone open the door to usher the students out. The whole clone bit, the bizarre affair outside the testing room and the lack of a Tenth Question caused Innocence to hesitate. She placed her exam back in the envelope but didn't move from her seat. She saw that she wasn't the only one that opted to remain seated. Several genin, in fact, did not get up even while others were dropping off their exam and filing out.

The kunoichi then focused on Lily who had remained seated but appeared to be watching for her and Natsuki. Maybe she already knows it was me? Either way, she's not moving and I'm pretty sure I know why.

Innocence had not forgotten about the final question and her ferocious mind instantly recalled every syllable of Airi-sama's instructions. They were not to leave the room until the Tenth Question had been posed and answered. Innocence racked her mind trying to recall and analyze all that had gone on since she had walked into the room. As her mind worked, she sent a communique to her near seated kin. A message flashed across the chalkboard and the moment Natsuki stirred. Whether to put his exam in the envelope, rise from his seat or do anything that appeared to indicate the test was over, he'd be bombarded with the image of a bucktooth version of Kaori waving two red stop signs. The offensive reproduction of her rival wore a clown outfit and would start dancing like a court jester. The illusory figure at the front of the room would then point to the chalkboard which said in big bold letters:

STOP. DON'T GET UP. WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE TENTH QUESTION YET AND SHE SAID NOT TO LEAVE THE ROOM UNTIL ITS COMPLETED. DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID, JUST LET ME COOK.

Noting that Airi said that they were free to leave, Innocence declined to exercise what Airi's freedom permitted. She purposefully lingered in her seat, using the fact that not everyone had gotten out of their seats to turn in their exam as a viable excuse for her dallying. As she did, she recalled a few choice elements about Airi's interactions regarding the proctors and her movements throughout the Exam. A wry grin spread across her face as she briefly turned around in her seat. She held the position for a moment as if in thought and then turned back to face forwards. She locked eyes with her Sage-sister and gave a curt nod of acknowledgement.

I see you. I see what this is.

The test had felt like an eternity, though Natsuki's impossible writing speed had him finishing up well within the allotted time. Despite this, however, there was that burning thought at the back of his mind that had bothered him since his second post in this topic. He might not have been the brightest shinobi in the room, but he might have been the most perceptive. As promised, the 30 minute timer continued to count down: "You will have 30 minutes to complete 9 questions. You will not get a bathroom break and you will not be able to leave the room at all... " It was what the Lady Hokage had said before the bone broad entered that continued to vex. "None of you are permitted to leave the testing facility during the test and none of you may leave the room until after the 10th question is completed. If you leave at any time, you will be disqualified permanently from the exams,"

Natsuki's eyes fell on the timer as the minutes counted down. Lily's entrance into a genjutsu was notable, but he was focused on the task at hand, eager to prove his mother wrong. So when do we get the 10th question?!

And then it was over?

Natsuki's eyes narrowed at the delibrate word choice as he pushed his pencils to the far side of the desk. "...Free to leave..." Yeah right... That doesn't exactly square with what you said earlier. Still, not wanting to appear somehow a cheater, Natsuki reached back for the envelope and lifted his exam papers to be placed therein. Afterall, who's to say that the 10th question was even a written one. That was when a bizarre caricature of Kaori, of all people, suddenly made its appearance along with Innocence's message. His eyes bounced around the image with a faint amusement overshadowed much by confusion at the choices made. I guess it did grab his attention. It was equal parts reassuring and relieving that Innocence had noticed this oddity as well, so he wouldn't have to somehow hold her back or something.

With all, he would slip the test back into the envelope and remain seated as planned. While many stood, delivered their exam, and left, some others opted to remain seated too. One even delivered their envelope before returning to their seat. Natsuki was glad to be in their company and he kept his eyes firmly affixed to Airi, even as the Clown Kaori continued its jig, in eager anticipation of more shenanigans.

Details:

It wouldn’t take long for many of Nakaba’s competitors to eliminate themselves. He honestly looked for ways and opportunities that he could stop some of them from leaving the room without eliminating himself. He was simply not smart enough though. Illusioms would take too much set up. He didn’t bring enough ninja tools. He couldn’t use hand signals or codes. It would only be beneficial to have a diverse pool of opponents and potential allies, but Nakaba had to watch that opportunity fade away. Once it looked like no one else was leaving Nakaba would tap the air next to him and absorb the chakra he’d left lingering in the air.

The Hokage would speak, and Nakaba would rouse from his ‘slumber’ shaken with a bit of drool down his cheek. His eyes would widen in shock as Airi explained that leaving the test area before the tenth question was against the rules. He would continue to listen avsorbing information and creating new heuristics that he’d at least use for this exam if not his ninja career. “Allowing some things to occur” and “sabotage” definitely involved him. Nakaba would flinch both times.

As the Hokage gave the order to answer the tenth question, Nakaba would stand, not waiting for any of the other genin, and reach into his breast pocket to hand the Hokage the stolen envelope he’d placed in there earlier. He would then answer, “Goldenrod” before racing to the open window and leaping out.

[Exam turned in. 10th question answered. Attempting to Exit out the window to part 2.]

It has been a long time coming but at least he was done for now. As he was taking a sip of water he was leaning on the wall. Ghost would be all smiles as he just finished the exam and first part of the Chunnin Exams. "Light work with slight work but I guess I'll got catch some ZZZ until the next part comes along." Truly thinking to himself not really knowing what to do or say at this moment. Ghost has no idea what was going to happen next. But he did know he got most of the answers right if anything.
As he looked down at his hands and he would start to stare at them. A smile grin came over his face as he started to think about the combat part of the exam.

Would he be able to handle it or not? Now that was the real question and what not. As Ghost looked on he would start to walk down the hall way as he held his right side pocket. But for some odd reason something was really off but he just could not figure out why. He would break this train of thought as he stopped by Class Room B and he was hearing all sorts of noise. He would try not to listen in on it but it truly was loud. "What type of test is they taking in there?" He would say as he walked off as slow as can be.

With the final question now revealed Kudo couldn't help but smile as she mulled over the experience. Their head proctor Airi had made it quite clear that the instructions were the real core of this exercise, indeed following orders was a most important skill to have as shinobi. Walking towards the open windows as instructed Kudo offered up her answer before exiting through the paneless opening.

"Lavender."

With that the first section of the exams has been passed, now the threat of real engagement had her thoughts drifting towards her lessons with The Owl. With an increasingly paranoid flush of her chakra before she leapt out of the open window her reality was once more confirmed as she pushed such troubling thoughts from her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OOC: - Attempting Exit

Deets:

As the last of the foolish shinobi left the room, the redhead Kage spoke and confirmed Lily's assumptions. While the metaphor about taking a mission seemed very silly to her though. None of those shinobi looked like they had been trying to run away; they seemed more like they were unaware of the actual test before them. She didn't pity those who had left though, no that would be an insult. They simply weren't ready yet in some form. Better to fail and have another chance at trying again then fail and be barred forever...right?

Then again, the Vandal Pits were win or die. Second chances there were effectively impossible. Even now she was reminded that shinobi life was kind in a way she was unused to.

Brushing that thought aside Lily would continue to listen. At the very least it looked like Lily had understood what the test was about and once again she was rewarded for her efforts. It was a simple question: the examinee's favorite color. It took a second for Lily to process the question, but when she did her face would scrunch up for a half-second.

What was Lily's Favorite Color? Lily had never really given that much thought before. Sure Kit-Kit had probably asked before, but Lily had always been more concerned with function and fighting over form and fashion. Now though, now that she was sitting down and this question determining if she was to move on or not? No, she could do this, she just needed to stay calm. She'd go through the primary colors. None of them spoke to her, so she'd go through the sub-colors. Lime, chartreuse, famous, beaver, chestnut. None of them really screamed out at her. She'd watch as Number 31 handed Airi something, said his color and left the window. Next was Number 8 with their color. Goldenrod and Lavender didn't call out to Lily either.

What a conundrum.

Rhythmically tapping her fingers against the hilt of her knife, it came to her like a bolt from the blue. It was something she gave almost no thought too, but the sky. She could recall the sky on one of those days in her youth; a miracle perhaps. Perhaps it was just a dream. Perhaps it was a fake memory during her time asleep in the grave. On that day the sky was blue, but the light of the sun's rays had made it look as if there was a purple aura surrounding it. It wasn't quite a single color, but a combination that couldn't be correctly expressed in a simple answer. It was an impossibility, but one she had seen and could still vividly recall in her mind. An impossible color like Stygian Blue, only it was her color.

Getting up from her desk with newfound confidence, Lily would take her packet and toss it onto the pile with the rest of them before moving to the window. As she walked backwards to the window, she'd look to Airi with a smug grin, giving the Kage finger guns. 'My favorite color? That's easy!' she'd think. As if there was any other answer she could have given!

"Sky Blue with a purple hue!"

With her answer stated Lily would jump out of the window and freefall down to her future and the next stage of the exams, one step closer to her goal of being able to fight those considered her peers. One step closer to being able to defeat the Shabnak. One step closer to being able to solo the gigantic Ox-topus. One step closer to becoming unstoppable.

{Exit through the window to Chunin Exams Round 2}

Innocence smirked to herself as some of the genin filtered out of the room. Idiots she thought as the door shut behind them. Right on cue, the Hokage declared that everyone still in the classroom had just passed this stage of the Chuunin Exams. Innocence allowed herself a brief sigh of relief but otherwise gave no outward sign of celebration. There was no cause for celebration yet. The Exams were only just getting started. Airi confirmed that the purpose of the Exam was to test their intelligence gathering skills rather than their raw knowledge of academic subjects. Inno shrugged. It didn't matter, she had excelled on both fronts. She had shown her mastery of technical subjects while also helping her kinsman cheat. Now it was on to the next challenge. The young surgeon stood up and dropped off her exam envelope before turning towards the window. "Lime" she'd say to her Sage sensei before vaulting over the window. As she exited the classroom, she'd wink at Natsuki and release him from the illusion. She'd also throw up a nod to Lily. A subtle gesture that she was the one that had placed her under the illusion. Curiously, as Innocence walked past Hibiki's horse, she'd nick the creature subtly with her kunai causing it to neigh loudly. She'd stow away the weapon but keep the horse blood on her hands before forming a series of seals and committing its DNA to memory.


OOC: Releasing Natsuki from Genjutsu, ending Concentration Unique Ability

Used: Gene-Seeded Copy [Memorizing Hibiki's Pegausus's DNA]

Exit

"If you are still in here, you all did a fantastic job and you will all instantly pass this part of the exams."

Natsuki blinked.

"The main objective wasn't necessarily to even get any of the questions right on this quiz but to see how crafty you were to get the answers."

He blinked again.

Figures... how would any normal shinobi be able to answer these questions? Innocence was, of course, no ordinary shinobi. Had the test been about finding those answers, he was lucky to have had her here. He only knew that she and Sera were smart enough to pull any of this off, and there was a very real chance that he'd have had neither of them for this exam. His mouth puckered as he blew so much air out of his lungs in relief, but this was only temporary. This part was over, sure, but what of the next? Would each element of the exam have some manner of trickery that he'd have to watch out for?

"For the tenth and final questions."

Oh fuck, there's still a 10th question?! But she said we passed!

"Here are your instructions: Answer the 10th question and then leave out of the windows," she said pointing out to the open windows to all of their left. "The tenth question is: What is your favorite color?"

Natsuki blinked again. One by one, the genin trickled out until it was his turn.

"Orange," he shrugged as he dropped off his envelope and hopped out the window like the rest.

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